103rd Infantry Division Unit Association

The unit association for the 103rd Infantry Division was officially established in 1964. While there had been smaller gatherings and efforts by various units within the 103rd, the formal division association was not established until 1964. After this pivotal year, a formal president, board, constitution with bylaws were adopted, and the 103rd Infantry Division Unit Association flourished. Members of the 3rd Battalion, 409th Infantry Regiment, gathered in 1964 in Lansing, Michigan, and agreed to schedule a meeting in 1965.  After a successful reunion in 1965, the association held another reunion in 1966, also in Lansing. The Association elected Harvey T. Ellsworth (HHC, 3rd Battalion, 409th Infantry) as president that year. Subsequently, Betty Ellsworth, Harvey's wife, was elected Secretary/Treasurer, and together, the couple organized annual reunions.

As the 103rd Infantry Division Association progressed, various members took initiatives to complete an extensive variety of tasks including the creation of a master list for the division, the organization of annual reunions, the development of memorials in the United States and abroad to remember the accomplishments of the division and those lost, and even the creation of an annual newsletter which was titled “News from the Cactus Patch”. Through the exhaustive efforts of the Division Association, these veterans and their families were able to gather and enjoy each other’s company, along with remember those who never got the chance to grow old alongside them. In 1982, at the San Antonio reunion, the association adopted a formal constitution and by-laws. Furthermore, the association agreed to send a yearly delegation to Washington D.C. to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery. The association held an annual reunion each year between 1965 and 2017.

In 2015, the 103rd Infantry Division Association donated their complete archival collection to the McCain Library at the University of Southern Mississippi, with the help of Dr. Kenneth Swope (grandson of a 103rd veteran and Professor of History at USM). This dedication and donation ceremony was the culmination of an exhaustive effort by the Division Association to donate and preserve their history. The dedication service coincided with the 2015 annual reunion, which was the second to last reunion the Division Association held.

PAST MEETINGS

July 30, 1965 - Lansing, Michigan

July 15-17, 1966 - Lansing, Michigan

July 21-23, 1967 - Chicago, Illinois

July 21, 1968 - St. Louis, Missouri

July 1969 - Des Plains, Illinois

July 1970 - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

July 1971 - Detroit, Michigan

July 1972 - Omaha, Nebraska

July 12-14, 1973 - LaCrosse, Wisconsin

July 12-14, 1974 - Kansas City, Missouri

July 11-13, 1975 - Nashville, Tennessee

July 23-25, 1976 - Duluth, Minnesota

August 5-7, 1977 - Green Bay, Wisconsin

July 14-16, 1978 - Des Moines, Iowa

July 20-22, 1979 - Minneapolis, Minnesota

July 18-20, 1980 - Jackson, Mississippi

July 23-26, 1981 - St. Louis, Missouri

July 24-August 1, 1982 - San Antonio, Texas

July 20-24, 1983 - Appleton, Wisconsin

July 1984 - Omaha, Nebraska

July 17-21, 1985 - Hot Springs, Arkansas

July 16-19, 1986 - Flint, Michigan

July 15-19, 1987 - Denver, Colorado

September 7-11, 1988 - Springfield, Illinois

August 16-21, 1989 - Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

July 22-26, 1990 - Cherry Hill, New Jersey

September 11-15, 1991 - Dallas, Texas

September 3-5, 1992 - Anaheim, California

August 25-29, 1993 - Schaumburg, Illinois

August 10-14, 1994 - Phoenix, Arizona

August 16-20, 1995 - Williamsburg, Virginia

September 11-15, 1996 - Columbus, Ohio

September 1997 - Omaha, Nebraska

August 1998 - Schaumburg, Illinois

August 1999 - Eau Claire, Wisconsin

September 2000 - Little Rock, Arkansas

September 2001 - Grand Rapids, Michigan

September 2002 - Dallas, Texas

September 2003 - Las Vegas, Nevada

October 2004 - Schaumburg, Illinois

October 2005 - Washington, D.C.

November 2006 - Dallas, Texas

September 2007 - St. Louis, Missouri

July 2008 - Cincinnati, Ohio

July 15-19, 2009 - Nashville, Tennessee

July 14-18, 2010 - San Antonio, Texas

July 13-16, 2011 - New Orleans, Louisiana

August 1-4, 2012 - Kansas City, Kansas

July 31-August 3, 2013 - Indianapolis, Indiana

October 7-10, 2015 - Hattiesburg, Mississippi

October 21-23, 2016 - Grapevine, Texas

October 20-22, 2017 - Grapevine, Texas